Coupeville Sports

Madison Tisa McPhee’s speed? It’s the shoes. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

This really doesn’t seem quite fair.

After battling through almost 90 minutes of scoreless, counter-punch upon counter-punch soccer Thursday night, to lose the way Coupeville High School did — on a semi-questionable, confusing ball that dribbled slowly into the back of the net, sort of, on a play where Wolf goalie McKayla Bailey was blocked from seeing where the ball was — is sort of depressing.

At least it was for the CHS fans and parents in the stands, who looked around with questioning looks on their faces, uncertain that the game had actually ended. But, with a pair of refs seemingly anxious to get to a warm car, that was it, and Lakewood escaped with a 1-0 double overtime win.

The loss, which dropped Coupeville to 0-11 on the season, was one of its best efforts of the season, however. Clad in new uniforms (“I told them, new uniforms, new attitude,” said Wolf coach Dan d’Almeida), the Wolves spent more time than normal on the other side of the field, pushing the attack at times.

With Madison Tisa McPhee streaking down field in snappy, brightly-colored shoes that popped in a sea of black foot-gear, Coupeville play-makers Amanda d’Almeida and Haley Marx tried to force the action, but were largely blunted by a scrappy Lakewood defense.

The Wolf back line made their own stand, with Anna Bailey clobbering anyone who dared enter her territory, and the trio of Kelsey Miranda, Jennifer Spark and Marisa Etzell providing a nice layer of protection for Wolf goalie McKayla Bailey.

With her protectors running interference for her, McKayla Bailey didn’t have to turn away many shots, but made one nice save off a penalty shot near the end of the first half that stood out.

After playing through an uneventful first overtime, the two teams were agonizingly close to wrapping up the second five-minute extra period and advancing to a shoot-out. Dan d’Almeida was already mentally checking to make sure he had the five players on the field he would want to use when the awkward final play snapped him back to reality.

“Shouldn’t have done it. Probably jinxed us!,” he said with a good-natured laugh.